Last summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Detroit to attend the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It was a historic convening in multiple capacities. It was there where the PCUSA made the landmark decision to expand its definition of marriage so that it might both include and permit the officiating of same-sex couples. The gathering was also the largest that Detroit had seen since the city’s declaration of bankruptcy. Nearly 5000 persons filled the Cobo Center and set up camp everywhere from church floors to the top of the Renaissance Center. I was proud to be a part of this swarm that filled Motor City’s streets. Not only was the PCUSA fighting against the negative news media that Detroit is so often the recipient of, but it was also contributing to the still struggling local economy. Detroit is eclectic in its number of private small businesses, and we were able to eat, drink, and be merry in those spaces. Getting onto our wheels and wings back home, the hope would be that our “courage” (if you can even call it that) to convene in Detroit would compel others to do the same and chisel a new appreciation for the city out of the crumbling myths of its failure. A year has now gone by, and our hope has seen that fruition. In one way or another, churches are mustering their numbers into the city. Early June saw 45,000 Jehovah’s Witness fill Ford Stadium for one of their many annual worship conferences. The National Baptist Convention brought 25,000 members over in late June. The latest of these gatherings was the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) triennial Youth Gathering. It numbered around 30,000 folks. What’s even crazier to think about is how each of these gatherings grew the population of Detroit by anywhere from 3-6%. And while many of us may disagree with the official stances of some of these church groups, what unites them is the conscious decision they made to worship, sleep, eat, and serve in a city that many still won’t dare to enter. Yet with the end of every gathering, tens of thousands of folks return home to softly build up the bright, shining face Detroit because they have – in some way – seen and been a part of its rebirth. Unlike the former two, the ELCA’s gathering focused on service. This occasion for the ECLA is triennial, meaning it is particularly special for them to come to any location. Their service ranged from fixing up the roofs of dilapidated houses to tending the urban farms to just about any project they could feasibly take up with their few days’ stay. Their numbers were so large that some had to stay in hotels outside the city, awaiting a daily commute by bus to their service location. Their work-shirts represented every hue of neon, a glowing compliment to their already glowing spirits.

I chose to focus on the ELCA because it provides a critical example of service. Like us in DukeEngage, their stay was temporary and yet they shuttled themselves here because they had a deep belief in the “good” they were doing. Many folks are rightly critical of these “tours of duty” done by outsiders. Without ample understanding or sensitivity, volunteers can arrive with a sort of “savior” mindset too. This mindset can lull volunteers into believing that their service is more special and unique than that of those who have worked hard before them, stripping away the agency of longtime residents who have fought hard for the same. Lack of historical purview too can rightly plague volunteers with the labels of naivety, of bigoted, or just plain rude. But volunteers that are able to take ownership of those labels, to acknowledge the truth of their own ignorance and to honor the need to approach their service carefully, will be able to do even more good — because every volunteer goes home. And, more powerful than the trinkets and new friendships, these volunteers will arrive home with stories.

From what I have read, I believe that the ECLA did a good job in preparing its young people — through classtime sessions on racism, classism, injustice, sexism, and Detroit’s history — before and during their time here. My hope and joy is in the stories that will return to the churches in Iowa, in California, in North Dakota, in North Carolina, in every state where the ECLA’s near 4-million person membership is present. Those stories, if told correctly, will honor every aspect of Detroit and include both the needs met and the needs still present, and the stories of folks who never arrived nor left because they are serving in the city they call home.

DukeEngage has done a great job of training us all on the ethics of service, of drawing our attention to the issues you mention here. Are volunteers approaching the task with humility? Is the task really what the community needs? Sometimes, though, what a community needs is LABOR! Lots of people in neon shirts willing to dig and sweat and complete in one weekend what would take the residents months to squeeze in to their spare time. Keep being thoughtful, Bryce!